Guard for pedal-openings of pianos.



H. B. VANHOOK.

GUARD FOR PEDAL OPENINGS 0F PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1910.

Patented July 4 J/ lNVENTORya'b- Attamey WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

HENRY BRUCE VANHOOK, OF WASHINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

GUARD FOR PEDAL-OPENINGS OF PIANOS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY BRUCE VAN- HOOK, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Washington, in the county of Beaufort and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guards for Pedal Openings of Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for guarding the pedal openings of pianos, the same being associated with the pedal for preventing the access of mice and the like to the interior of the piano case through the pedal holes.

An object of this invention is to provide a guard adapted to be associated with a pedal whereby the opening for the pedal is free for the action of the pedal yet preventing the entrance of mice as stated to the interior of the case, the invention being particularly useful in connection with pianos -which are already in use as the guards may be installed without changing the case or pedal in any way.

Furthermore an object of this invention is to provide a guard which is adjustable in order that it may be used in connection with pianos having pedals of different lengths or in which the distance from the inner surface of the case to the inner end of the pedal is different.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a guard of the character indicated which can be formed wholly of sheet metal by the process of stamping, thus permitting the manufacture of the guards by an inexpensive method and by the use of inexpensive material.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification wherein like characters denote correspond-' ing parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 illustrates a fragment of a piano case having a pedal with the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of one section of the housing; Fig.

0 illustrates a perspective view of another section thereof; and Figs. 4 and 5 are per- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 20, 1910.

Patented July 4, 1911.

Serial No. 582,889.

spective views of still other sections of the housing.

In these drawings 6 denotes a fragment of a piano case, 7 a pedal which extends through an aperture 8 in the said case. In order to prevent mice from gaining access to the interior of the piano through the opening 8, a housing or guard is situated in such relation to the pedal as to guard the sides and ends thereof, thus preventing mice from coming under the pedal and to the interior of the case.

In carrying out the invention, I employ plates 9 and 10 which are stationed around the inner end of the pedal, the said plates having apertures 11 and 12 respectively which are designed to receive the pintle or pivotal pin on which the pedal is mounted the said plates acting as bearings for a pivotal pin of a pedal. The apertures 11 and 12 may be increased or diminished in number according to the requirements but it has been found desirable to have a plurality of such apertures in order that the plates may be applied to pedals now installed in pianos and in order that the pivotal pins of the pedals may fit into one of the sets of apertures in the plates 11 and 12. The plate 9 has an apertured ear 13 and the plate 10 has an apertured ear 14 which receive the screws 15 and 16 respectively for anchoring them to the floor or bottom of the piano. The plate 10 is also provided with an ear 13 similar to the ear 13 on the plate 9 which is designed to receive the anchoring means. The plate 10 has a stud 18 and the plate 9 has a stud 17 which are designed to fit in the slots 19 and 20 respectively in the plates 21 and 22 respectively. The plate 21 has an apertured ear 23 and the plate 22 has an apertured ear 24; which are designed to receive fastening devices such as a screw 25 for holding the plates in operative relation to the plates 9 and 10 and in operative relation to the front of the piano case.

The plates 9, 10, 21 and 22 are shown in their assembled relation in Fig. 1 wherein the plates 9 and 10, which have angular ends, overlap beyond the inner end of the pedal 7, the said plates 9 and 10 extending parallel wit-h the edge of the pedal toward the front of the case. The plates 21 and 22 have their ends abutting the inner surface of the front of the case at the sides of the pedal 7 so that the said plates guard the sides of the opening 8 in the front of the case. The plates 21 and 22 lie parallel and in contact with the plates 10 and 9 respectively and the lugs of the-said plates 10 and 9 lie in the slots 19 and 20 of the plates 21 and 22. By reason of the fact that the sets of plates are telescopically mounted with relation to each other, the housing formed by the said plates may be made long or short according to the length of the pedal from its inner end to the inner surface of the front of the piano case.

A guard made in accordance with this invention can be applied to pianos now in general use and owing to the adjustable relation of the parts the fitting of the guard to such pianos can be expeditiously carried on.

lVhile I have shown a fragment of a piano case having but one hole and a guard therefor, it is to be understood that a guard may be supplied for each pedal and that when so supplied access of mice or the like to the interior of the piano case will be obviated. lVhile it is true that mice could crawl under the pedal and into the housing to the inner end of the pedal, they could not gain access to the piano case proper for the reason that they could not pass beyond the inner end of the pedal nor to the sides thereof within the piano case.

I claim 1. In a guard for pedal openings of pianos, plates having ends adapted to inclose the sides and end of the inner portion of the piano pedal and having portions adapted to extend along the sides of said pedal, plates slidably connected to the first mentioned plates and adapted to have their ends abut the piano case at the pedal opening, and means for securing the said plates to the piano case.

2. In a guard for pedal. openings of pianos plates lying parallel with the sides of a pedal and having ends partially embracing the inner end of said pedal, plates adjustable with relation to the first mentioned plates and lying parallel with the pedal, and means for securing the said plates with the ends of the plates guarding the sides of the pedal openings.

3. An upright piano case having a bottom and pedal opening a guard for the pedal opening secured directly to the said bottom, the said guard comprising sectional side plates having bent ends, said guards adapted to inclose the sides and end of the inner extremity of a pedal, the said plates forming bearings for a pedal pivot pin, the ends of said plate also engaging the inner side of the front of the case at the edges of the pedal opening.

In testimony whereof, I allix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY BRUCE VANHOOK.

lVitnesses C. R. FLEMING, J. B. Ross.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

